Networking Service
Provides network-connectivity-as-a-service between
interface devices that are managed by other OpenStack
services, usually Compute. Enables users to create and attach
interfaces to networks. Like many OpenStack services,
OpenStack Networking is highly configurable due to its plug-in
architecture. These plug-ins accommodate different networking
equipment and software. Consequently, the architecture and
deployment vary dramatically.
Includes the following components:
neutron-server. Accepts and routes API
requests to the appropriate OpenStack Networking plug-in
for action.
OpenStack Networking plug-ins and agents. Plugs and
unplugs ports, creates networks or subnets, and provides
IP addressing. These plug-ins and agents differ depending
on the vendor and technologies used in the particular
cloud. OpenStack Networking ships with plug-ins and agents
for Cisco virtual and physical switches, Nicira NVP
product, NEC OpenFlow products, Open vSwitch, Linux
bridging, and the Ryu Network Operating System.
The common agents are L3 (layer 3), DHCP (dynamic host
IP addressing), and a plug-in agent.
Messaging queue. Most OpenStack Networking
installations make use of a messaging queue to route
information between the neutron-server and various agents
as well as a database to store networking state for
particular plug-ins.
OpenStack Networking interacts mainly with OpenStack
Compute, where it provides networks and connectivity for its
instances.